AbstractBefore becoming president of Indiana
University, Herman B Wells served as an assistant cashier at the National Bank of
Lebanon before going on to work for the Indiana Bankers Association, the Indiana
Commission for Financial Institutions, and the Indiana Department of Financial
Institutions. He was named dean of the Indiana University School of Business
administration in 1935 by IU President William Lowe Bryan. In 1937 he was named
acting president of the university and president the following year, a position he
held until 1962. Upon his retirement, IU created the position of University
Chancellor, which Dr. Wells held until his death in 2000. This collection consists
of Wells’ personal papers and includes papers pertaining to his family and personal
finances, his activities in the banking profession, his work in Germany for the
United States government after World War II, and to his research and teaching and
professional activities as a member of the faculty of Indiana University.

Scope and Content Note

Spanning the period from 1819-2001,
the personal papers of Herman B Wells contain information on Wells’ activities
outside of his administrative roles at Indiana University. Activities or topics
covered by these records relate to banking, family and friends, personal property
and finances, research, teaching, and writings. The Herman B Wells Papers are
organized into thirteen series: General correspondence; Family records; Affiliations
and professional organizations; Awards; Biographical records and personal documents;
Education; Financial matters; Personal property; Teaching; Banking; Writings; German
Assignment and Audio/Visual materials.

The first series, General correspondence, spans the period from 1924-1998 and contains primarily
correspondence to and from Wells, but often also includes clippings, pamphlets and
other ephemera related to various topics. Prominent correspondents include: Frank O.
Beck, Ward G. Biddle, Herman T. Briscoe, William Lowe Bryan, George Cook, John W.
Cravens, Cecilia Hennel Hendricks, Paul McNutt, Winfred Merrill, Sherman Minton,
John Scott, Ralph D. Shoemaker, John Stempel, James Woodburn, and Dr. Wells’
parents, Granville and Anna Wells. The files are arranged alphabetically by author
or subject.

Family records, the second series, spans the period from 1819 to 1982 and contains records related to Wells’
parents and to family history. The subseries on Wells’ parents, Granville Wells and
Anna Bernice Wells, includes personal and biographical records for each, as well as
records relating to their deaths. The family history and genealogical records
subseries contains correspondence related to Wells’ genealogy, including family
histories, pedigree charts, and records of genealogical research done by Wells or
his relatives. The Endecott Family History and 19th century land documents for
Wells’ ancestors are stored in the Archives’ Oversized collections. Please see staff
for more details. The files in the Family records series are arranged
alphabetically.

The third series, Affiliations and professional organizations, spans the period from
1927 to 2000 and includes
records on the various organizations with which Wells was affiliated, such as
correspondence about meetings, invitations to various events, and requests for
membership fees or for donations to various causes. Prominent organizations or
affiliations represented in this series include: Sigma Nu Fraternity, the Methodist
Church, and the Indiana Academy of Sciences. The Sigma Nu records contain a great
deal of correspondence concerning the new house for the Beta Chapter to be built
near the IU campus, the Grand Chapter, and the Educational Foundation. The files are
arranged alphabetically by organization.

Awards, the fourth series, spans the period from 1922 to 1999, and consists of records documenting the
various awards Wells received before, during, and after his tenure as president of
Indiana University. The series is subdivided into two subseries: plaques and
oversized items, and certificates or other paper records related to awards. The
first box of plaques is a normal record center box, but the rest of the plaques and
oversized items are stored in flat boxes. The letter-sized certificates and other
paper records are stored in a records center box at the end of the series. Wells
received a variety of different awards including: Honorary Citizenship to New
Orleans, honorary membership into several fraternal organizations, and distinguished
services awards from organizations such as the Indiana Optometric Association.
Prominent items in this series include several honorary degrees which Wells received
from various universities and colleges, including Butler University, University of
Louisville, Earlham College, and Indiana State College (now Indiana State
University), as well as several awards from different departments or organizations
at Indiana University, such as the School of Business. This series is arranged
alphabetically within each box, but awards from the same organization may not all be
stored together due to size and preservation concerns.

The fifth series, Biographical records and personal documents, spans the period from
1934 to 2000, and includes
biographical statements or articles about Wells and various other personal documents
such as his driver’s license, passport, and will. Several versions and drafts of
Wells’ will are present, with the most recent being from 1997. The Emergency Call List is a file of documents distributed among
Wells’ staff and the administration of the University, detailing procedures in case
of emergency involving Wells’ health. This series is arranged alphabetically.

Education and schoolwork, spanning the period from 1906 to 1927, is the sixth series in this collection.
This series consists of records related to Wells’ education from the time he was a
schoolboy in the early 20th century to his days in college at Indiana University.
Included in this series are a “Universal Primer” booklet that was possibly used by
Wells as a schoolboy to learn how to read and write; a copy of Wells’ senior
yearbook from Lebanon (Ind.) High School; outlines created for and a copy of Wells'
Masters thesis,
"Service Charges for Small or So-Called
Country Banks"
; lecture notes and exams from a Business Finances class
Wells took with Dr. William A. Rawles; and notes on William Lowe Bryan's lectures to
students in the Ethics Department. Also included in the series are Wells’ diplomas
from high school to graduate school, which are stored separately in the Archives’
oversized collection. Please ask Archives staff for more details. This series is
arranged alphabetically.

The seventh series, Financial matters, spans the period from 1906 to 2001, and is further sub-divided into five
sub-series: General, Bills and receipts, Contributions and gifts, Insurance, and
Investments. The General subseries consists mostly of personal financial records and
bank statements, as well as several files related to income taxes and tax returns.
Bills and receipts were created primarily during Wells’ later years and include
copies of bills and receipts for various purchases, from candy and meat to gasoline
and furniture. The final two subseries include records related to Wells’ investments
in life and health insurance, and in various stock ventures. This series is arranged
alphabetically.

Personal property, the eighth series, spans the period from 1835 to 2000 and consists of records related to Wells’
property and personal possessions. Prominent topics include records related to
Wells’ art, antique collections, farm real estate, and the different houses he owned
and lived in throughout Bloomington and the surrounding area, including the Woodburn
House, Wells House on Tenth Street, at the Meadowood retirement community, and for a
house on Second Street. Several architectural records for these homes were pulled
and added to the Archive’s Architectural Records collection. Please ask staff for
more details. Inventories of his possessions, compiled at different times usually
for legal purposes, are included in the series. There are also records related to
houseboys, housekeepers and cooks who lived with and assisted Wells. This series is
arranged alphabetically.

The ninth series, Teaching, includes records from Wells’ teaching career at Indiana
University during the late 1920s-1930s. Wells teaching duties at IU consisted of the following
appointments: Graduate Student and Assistant, Department of Economics, 1927-1928; Instructor, Department of
Economics, 1930-31 to 1932-33; and
Professor and Dean, School of Business Administration, 1935-36 to 1936-37. This series is further divided into
two subseries: Economics courses and Business courses and advising. The Economics
courses subseries includes most prominently lecture notes and other teaching
materials for the following courses taught by Wells: Economics 1b and E101a & b:
Political Economy; Economics 102a & b: Economic History of England and the
United States; Economics E214: Corporation Economics; and, Economics E229: Social
and Economic Control of Business. This subseries is arranged numerically by course
number, and by lecture number within each course. The Business courses and advising
subseries consists of lectures and papers for some of Wells’ courses on Business
Administration and other business related topics while Wells was Professor and Dean
of the School of Business. This series is arranged numerically by course number and
alphabetically by subject.

Banking, the tenth series, spans the period from 1928-1962, and is further divided into four subseries:
Study Commission for Indiana Financial Institutions, Indiana Bankers Association,
Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis, and Other Banking Activities. Wells served
as Secretary and Research Director on the Study Commission for Indiana Financial
Institutions from 1931-1933. It was
a state appointed commission to study county bank failures in Indiana and recommend
reforms. Arranged alphabetically, this subseries contains correspondence, report
typescripts and notes, and subject files. From 1928-1931, Wells served as Field Secretary for the
Indiana Bankers Association. This subseries consists primarily of addresses by Wells
in relation to this position, as well as some subject files on topics such as credit
bureaus and service charges. Wells was a member of the Board of Directors Federal
Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis from 1936
to 1971, and served the majority of this time (1940-1971) as Chairman of the Board. This subseries
contains correspondence, minutes of Directors meetings and Executive Committee
meetings, and reports, and is arranged chronologically. Please note that post-1962
records on Wells activities on the Board can be found in the Records of the
University Chancellor, Public Service Record Series. The final subseries, other
banking activities, includes records relating to various other banking organizations
and conferences, including American Bankers Association, Federal Reserve System, and
a conference in Washington on Bank Statement Standardization. This subseries is
arranged alphabetically by subject.

Writings is the eleventh series in this collection. This series spans the period from
1893 to 1986 and includes
several examples of writings and speeches by Wells. The series is divided into three
subseries:
Being Lucky (Wells’ autobiography),
Articles and other publications, and Speeches.
Being
Lucky
makes up the vast majority of this series, and it consists of
notes, research materials, drafts, transcripts, audio tapes, correspondence, and
other materials related to preparation of
Being Lucky:
Reminiscences and Reflections by Herman B Wells,
which was assembled in
the 1970s, and published by the IU
Press in 1980. The subseries also includes material
created by the Chancellor's administrative assistant Dorothy Collins and researchers
John L. Haste and David Warriner. This subseries is arranged into the following
categories: 1) Planning; 2) Notes and drafts by chapter; 3) Research materials; and
4) Audio tapes. Files for Chapter XVIII
"A New Trip and a
New Awareness"
were missing at the time of reprocessing. The articles and
other publications subseries consists primarily of writings by Wells on various
topics, particularly higher education. Articles of interest include
"Cooperation and Coordination of Federal Supervisory
Agencies,"
"How to Succeed as a University President without Really
Trying,"
and
"Higher Education Faces a Crucial
Decade,"
written in 1956. Also included is a
file of correspondence and drafts related to books that Wells planned to write. This
subseries is arranged alphabetically by title or subject. The speeches subseries
consists of notes, outlines, and drafts for speeches Wells gave from 1933 to 1984 during the years when he
was not serving as President of Indiana University (for Wells’ speeches as President
of IU, see Collection C137). Many of these speeches are related to the banking
industry. Also included are speeches on the State of the University while Wells
served as Interim President in 1968, the dedication of
the Elisabeth Ball room at the Lilly Library, and the eulogy given at the funeral of
former IU President William Lowe Bryan in 1955. This
subseries is arranged chronologically.

The twelfth series, German Assignment, consists of records created by Wells in late
1947 during his six-month leave of absence as
President of IU to serve as Director of the Education and Cultural Relations
Division of the Office of Military Government for Germany, U.S. (OMGUS). During this
time he also served as General Lucius D. Clay's cultural affairs advisor. The series
includes writings and reports, a diary, and subject files, but consists primarily of
correspondence with Indiana University, fellow OMGUS personnel, and individuals
seeking help immigrating or with locating displaced persons. The series is divided
into three subseries: Correspondence, Writings and reports, and Subject files.
Correspondence constitutes the largest subseries and spans the period from 1947 to 1950. It is arranged
alphabetically by surname. Significant correspondents include: William Lowe Bryan,
General Lucius D. Clay, Peter A. Fraenkel, J.A. Franklin, Alonzo G. Grace, Walter
Greenough, George B. McKibbin, Edward H. Litchfield, Secretary of War Robert P.
Patterson, Fenwick T. Reed, Catherine Royer, and Wells’ mother, Anna Bernice Wells.
The correspondence in this subseries was sometimes cross-referenced by President
Wells’ secretary, with references pointing the user to letters housed in subject
files or under another name as well as to letters in Wells’ Presidential records
(Collection C213). References that direct users to items housed outside the
collection are identified in the container list. The second subseries, writings and
reports, spans the years from 1947 to
1948 and is arranged chronologically, but many of the items are undated.
It includes a directive on constitutional reform in German institutions of higher
learning, a memorandum regarding the Cultural Affairs Program, a report on Wells’
trip to Washington, and Max Rheinstein’s report on the U.S. education mission to
Germany. Subject files span the years from 1947 to 1952 and are arranged alphabetically by folder title. Subjects
or types of material include: applications for employment, President Wells’ arrest
by Russian troops in East Berlin, newspaper clippings, Wells’ diary from his first
trip to Germany, German cultural exchanges and re-education, places to visit, and
requests to help persons enter the U.S.

The final series, audio visual materials, spans from the period from 1988 to 1998 and consists of a small
amount of VHS video tapes related to Herman B Wells. This collection of tapes came
from a larger collection found in Wells’ office in Owen Hall, but only the tapes
related directly to Wells were included in this series. Items of interest include a
tape of Dan Quayle in lieu of a transcript, the Ernst and Young Lifetime Achievement
Award ceremony, an interview on early Indiana banking with Blaine H. Wiseman, and an
oral history on the evolution of Woodburn House. This series is arranged
alphabetically.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
IUCAT, the IU Libraries'
online catalog. Materials about related topics, persons or places can be found by
searching the catalog using these terms.

Separated Material

Architectural plans for the new Sigma Nu house (Archives Set 3152-3155) and the Wells
House (Archives Set 3324) on Tenth Street were pulled and stored with the Archives’
Architectural Records. A folder of land documents and a copy of the Endecott Family
history were pulled and stored in the Oversized collections.

One photograph of Granville Wells circa 1931, four photographs and ten slides of the
painting
American Landscape with Cows before and
after conservation, two photographs of a sculpture by Frederic L. Hollis of Herman B
Wells, and one unidentified group photograph.

Administrative Information

Acquisition InformationAccns. 0009, 0379, 0783, 7041, 7154, 9118-9121, 9172-1973, 9176, 9179, 9180,
2001/044, 2001/045, 2006/015, 2007/058, 2007/142, 2010/050. Several reference
files were also interfiled into this collection. Speeches given prior to Wells
becoming president of IU that were originally processed into C137, Wells’ speech
collection, have been pulled and interfiled into this collection. Wells’ German
Assignment records, formerly Collection C230, were interfiled as a separate
series into this collection. In addition, several folders from Collection C104
that were related to Wells’ German Assignment were pulled and interfiled into
that series within this collection.

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Appointment by Governor Paul McNutt to be "Supervisor of the Division of Banks and
Trust Companies, Supervisor of the Division of Research and
Statistics, and Secretary to the Commission of Financial
Institutions,"
1933

Includes 3 issues of The Stars
and Stripes: Unofficial Publication of U.S. Occupation
Forces in Europe; April 3, 1948; June 19, 1948;
and June 20, 1948 and 1 issue of The New York Herald Tribune European Edition, September 29, 1948